Comforting the sick and consoling the grief-stricken is an important part of ministry for Deacon Ron Aziere. But there was a time, 10 years ago, when officiating at a wake service filled him with anxiety. Dcn. Aziere’s wife, Cecilia, had died a month earlier, and he was in the throes of personal heartache. “One of the benefits of being a married deacon was knowing that anytime I was out doing ministry work, I knew she was home praying for me,” he explains. “As I drove to the funeral home, I thought about that and started having a panic attack.” But his uneasiness was soon replaced with a moment of clarity.

If you ask Juan Rendon what the Diocese of Fort Worth can expect from its new director of Permanent Deacon Formation, the seasoned college instructor paraphrases a quote from Blessed Mother Teresa. “Expect faithfulness — not perfection,” he says wisely. “I will give my best to serve the needs of the diocese and will always be honest in my work. Ultimately, I do what I do out of love for Jesus Christ. That’s the bottom line.”

Art Dickerson, who has spent more than 45 years supporting and strengthening God’s Church in the Diocese of Fort Worth and around the world, received the highest honor recently from the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land (FFHL). That organization presented Dickerson with the Guardian of the Holy Land Award for his extraordinary commitment and support in preserving the presence of Christians in the land where Jesus walked.

More than 150 pro-lifers from all over the diocese convened in front of Planned Parenthood in Southwest Fort Worth for the kickoff of 40 Days for Life, an ecumenical peaceful prayer vigil that takes place 24/7 throughout the course of 40 days, encouraged the participants — which included families, college students, professionals, teenagers, and children — on Sept. 24.

Those who walked by Arlington’s St. Maria Goretti Parish Sept. 28, perhaps got a glimpse of some odd visitors to the church, which is administered by Franciscans of the Third Order Regular. They might even have seen pastor Father Jim Gigliotti, TOR, and parochial vicar Father David Morrier, TOR, ministering to these peculiar guests.